A postman in Kerala has shown that even a layman can make a difference, if he so chooses. S Babu of the Kowdiar Post Office, Thiruvananthapuram, is doing so by helping poor cancer patients who cannot afford treatment. The 56-year-old set up Swanthanam in 2007, with the help of the residents of Kowdiar. He started by distributing Rs 6 lakh for the treatment of poor patients at the Regional Cancer Centre, which he had visited during his sister’s treatment. Their pitiable condition had left him shocked then; several of them were begging for money. Babu hit upon a plan. He appealed to the residents of his beat, where he had delivered mail for 13 years, to donate for this cause. “When I told them about the ward, they came forward to help,” he recounts. “Once we registered a society, donations started to flow in. We have 110 members now.” Paying EMIS on a home loan, and with a wife and two sons at home, Babu is no rich man. But he doesn’t let it affect his work. “Sharing people’s pain is my way of thanking God,” he says. Babu’s service has not gone unnoticed. He is often invited by the postal department to talk about helping poor patients and many others have started supporting his noble efforts.